Trainings and Workshops

Working in partnership with key organizations and coalitions throughout the country, Public Works is engaged in a deliberate campaign to rebuild broad public support for government's essential role and its public purposes. As a first step in this campaign, Public Works has been traveling around the country conducting trainings and hosting workshops. 

In these trainings and workshops, we: 

?         identify Americans' current patterns of thinking about government and how these prevent the public from having a broader conception of government's purposes.

?         share concrete, research-based recommendations about how the public can be brought to a more constructive view of government, and thereby be more open to public solutions to our shared challenges.

?         discuss enduring values that can be associated with government and used in a wide variety of policy contexts and debates; and

?         explore how framing techniques can be used to effectively structure messages about government's public purposes. 

We have given presentations --  both short briefings or workshops and in-depth trainings -- to a variety of organizations and individuals ranging from cross-issue coalitions, individual organizations, elected officials, government employees, and business and community leaders.  Many of our audiences come together to talk about applying our research findings in the specific public policy arena in which they work.  For example, we have spoken before coalitions of non profit organizations, tax and budget policy research groups, arts advocates, environmental organizations, human service providers, and education advocates.  While the presentations for these coalitions focused generally on building support for government's public purposes, each was tailored to the specific policy interests of the organizations in attendance.

In the last year and half, we have conducted in-depth trainings in more than fifteen states.  In many of these states, we have returned for subsequent trainings and continue to work with participating organizations to integrate this new way of thinking and talking about government in their daily work. 

Our participants have found our training to be "very well received." They see our work "creating real excitement among their member organizations."  And, they say we have literally "turned their outreach efforts upside down." 

Interested in hosting a training or workshop?  If you are interested in learning more about our trainings and workshops and want to discuss the possibility of your organization hosting one, please contact Patrick Bresette at pbresette@demos.org